'Yikes' Email Sinks BIPA Coverage For Donut, Transport Cos.

By Lauraann Wood

An email stating "Yikes ... no" in response to outside counsel's inquiry regarding a commercial bakery's biometric data collection practices proves the business and a logistics company misrepresented material facts while seeking insurance that could have covered an underlying privacy dispute, an Illinois federal judge said Monday.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

9th Circ. Wipes Out $140M Class Verdict Against CenturyLink

By Craig Clough

The Ninth Circuit overturned a $140 million class verdict against CenturyLink on Tuesday, holding that the company's reasonable interpretation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act shielded it from liability for willful violations when it pulled consumers' credit reports during online orders for internet service.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

RI Judge Vacates Feds' Noncitizen Benefit Restrictions

By Tom Lotshaw

New York and other states applauded a Rhode Island federal judge's finding that the Trump administration flouted rulemaking requirements when it reinterpreted a 30-year-old welfare reform bill to try to subject a slew of federally funded benefit programs to immigration status verification requirements.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

United Can't Ground Christian Gate Agent's Vax Bias Suit

By Grace Elletson

An Illinois federal judge refused to fully dismiss a religious bias suit from an ex-United Airlines employee who claimed she was unlawfully denied a COVID-19 vaccine mandate exemption and then fired, citing her argument that a short deadline for documenting her exemption bid was intended to thwart it.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Illinois Powerhouse: DiCello Levitt

By Matt Perez

Plaintiffs-side litigation firm DiCello Levitt obtained multimillion-dollar recoveries for Sudanese refugees escaping a genocide, for Illinois residents affected by an industrial fire at Chemtool Inc., and in automotive defect cases involving General Motors and Honda, earning the firm a spot among Law360's Regional Powerhouses.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Law Firm Says Illinois Tollway Owes Limo-Crash Defense Fees

By Celeste Bott

The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority is being sued in Illinois state court by a Chicago law firm claiming the agency has failed to pay attorney fees for its defense in litigation over a catastrophic 2016 limousine crash.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Insurer Owes No Coverage In Wrongful Conviction Deal

By Danielle Ferguson

The estate of a man wrongly convicted of an arson that killed his mother-in-law cannot receive $1.8 million for a settlement with a polygraph agency accused of coercing him into a false confession, an Illinois federal judge ruled Tuesday.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

'Chicago Fire' Production Co. Doesn't Pay Properly, Suit Says

By Lauraann Wood

The production company behind "Chicago Fire" has been hit with a proposed collective wage lawsuit in Illinois federal court claiming the company keeps intentionally inaccurate records and illegally fails to pay for all the work its employees perform on set.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Seyfarth Says Data Breach Exposed Social Security Numbers

By Hailey Konnath

Seyfarth Shaw LLP has disclosed a recent data breach that exposed the names and Social Security numbers of at least 300 individuals, according to notices filed with the Texas and California attorneys general.

Notice attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Meta Celebrates 'Abuse' Of Atty-Client Privilege, Judge Told

By Dorothy Atkins

A California federal judge ordered Meta on Tuesday to rereview privilege designations on 300 documents in social media addiction litigation, after plaintiffs' lawyers cited a "culture of privilege abuse" epitomized by Instagram swag hats embroidered with "a/c priv" — the shorthand used to log withheld documents.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Mich. Fed. Judge On 1-Year Leave Over Drunken Driving Case

By Jack Karp

U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Ludington is taking a one-year paid leave of absence from the bench following his misdemeanor conviction for drunken driving, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan announced Tuesday.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Womble Bond Can't Quit Dutch Client With TM Trial Looming

By Hayley Fowler

Womble Bond Dickinson can't withdraw from a trademark feud that's dragged on for more than five years between U.S. and Dutch software companies, a North Carolina federal judge ruled, saying the firm's exit at this late stage "would be completely disruptive."

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »